History of Entertainment in Times Square
A business man walks by in a suit, followed closely by a transvestite in a purple mini skirt and red stilettos. "One of a kind prints, right here ladies!" A man on the corner has set up shop, the merchandise: as many ties as you could possibly want for only three dollars each. "Oh girl! You know how to dress!" An old woman creeps down the subway steps as a little girl buys a hotdog and some nuts from a street vendor. "I'm the Naked Cowboy, wanna shake my hand?" Tourists stand on the side walk and gawk. The whole city bustles around them, listening to headphones, reading the paper, busy getting to wherever they need to be, but never bothered by the complete infusion of people from literally all walks of life. They flock to the Square; they can count on it for food, transportation, but most of all, for never ending entertainment. Times Square is, and has always been, a national landmark in itself. By looking at what has happened and what is happening concerning entertainment in this small part of Manhattan, we can see that this district will always remain an integral part of the New York City entertainment experience. In the mid 1800's, a tiny hamlet known as Longacre was situated on a creek at what is now 42nd street. It was
Many people longed for the older, grungier Times Square, and thought that the new image of the Square was demeaning to the city's history. And so began the Square's long history of being the hottest place in New York City. Today, the Square is as bright and friendly as ever. Though people were still coming to the district, they did not have the same amount of money to spend. These new negative attitudes towards the Square provoked a rebellious attitude from many of the club owners that would ultimately lead the district down a self destructive path. In fact, the years after World War II brought about arguably the most change since the days of Longacre Square. With the officers in place, a more savory crowd slowly began to feel safer, and little by little they returned to Times Square. When the United States finally entered the War, club owners in Times Square were worried that their business would drop, but they had no reason to be. According to one native New Yorker, "It was like the old square was back - only much cleaner and more entertaining" (Beltrame 10). When nightclub owners began to complain because of the potential of lost customers, Mayor LaGuardia saved the day by announcing that "after all, New York is still New York", and extended the curfew to 1:00 AM (Stone 120). Continuing its mission, in 1995 the BID project reopened the New Year's Eve Ball in the Square. All of the sudden, it was more convenient to stay at home and watch the news than to venture out into Times Square and see a movie or watch the news ribbon on the Tower (Berman 2). By day, business men and women bustled through the square in and out of offices in suits and ties. However, this crowd was very different. Though some people still grumble about the new face of the Square, the protest is no longer a big issue, and most seemed to have moved on, and at least appreciate the cleanliness of the district.
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Acceptance Essays
